Long-billed Curlew – State Wildlife Action Plan

The Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) is North America’s largest shorebird and the world’s largest sandpiper. They have an extremely long bill and have a loud, ringing call. They have a buff-colored body with cinnamon or pink highlights, upperparts barred with dark brown, a plain crown, ashy gray feet and legs, and a pink base on the lower bill. In flight, the underwings are noticeably cinnamon-colored. The Long-billed Curlew’s body length is approximately 500-650 mm, with a wingspan of 257-308 mm. This species exhibits sexual dimorphism. Females bills can be three times the length of their heads and are flatter with a distinct curve at the tip. They also have larger bodies, up to one-third larger than males.

Overview

Species Common Name Long-billed Curlew
Species Scientific Name Numenius americanus
State Listing Status Sensitive

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

East Cascades

The East Cascade ecoregion extends from the Cascade Mountains' summit east to the warmer, drier high desert and down the length of the state. This ecoregion varies dramatically from its cool, moist border with the West Cascades ecoregion to its dry eastern border, where it meets sagebrush desert landscapes.

Northern Basin and Range

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion covers the very large southeastern portion of the state, from Burns south to the Nevada border and from the Christmas Valley east to Idaho. It is largely a high elevation desert-like area dominated by sagebrush communities and habitats.

Special needs

In their breeding habitat Long-billed Curlews are found in open habitat with relatively short grass damp, grassy hollows in prairie and grasslands, or long slopes near water bodies and little woody vegetation. In the Northern Basin and Range ecoregion, much of the suitable habitat is comprised of sub-irrigated meadows created by adjoining flood-irrigated meadows. In the Columbia Plateau, Long-billed Curlews forage both within and away from their nesting territories, often in recently cut alfalfa and other croplands. Outside the breeding season Long-billed Curlews occur in intertidal habitats, coastal pastures, agricultural fields, and freshwater wetlands.

Limiting factors

Long-billed Curlews have experienced population declines primarily due to habitat loss, including the conversion of grasslands and agricultural lands used for breeding to other croplands. Intensive cattle grazing can negatively impact breeding success, and human disturbance may further reduce nesting success. Grassland habitats are increasingly threatened by expanding agricultural use, the spread of non-native species, and urban development. Most native prairie grasslands within their historic range in Oregon have been converted to cropland, hayfields, or pasture.

Data gaps

• Obtain data on nest success.
• Identify priority areas for conservation of the species.
• Investigate the role and importance of working ranch lands in curlew habitat management and conservation.
• Study natal and breeding dispersal.
• Study the diet of Long-billed Curlew in Oregon.
• Study habitat use outside of the breeding season.
• Assess prevalence and impacts of illegal shooting in Oregon.

Conservation actions

•Expand partnerships with private landowners to maintain and restore large patches of short grass habitat, including ranching operations.
• Minimize human disturbance from March 15-July 1 at known nesting areas.
•Increase water availability during key brood-rearing periods through impoundments, securing water rights on public and private lands, and the development of incentives for private land managers to use more compatible water management practices whenever practicable.

Key reference or plan

Status assessment and conservation action plan for the Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus). Read here

Conservation of Landbirds and Associated Habitats and Ecosystems in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Oregon and Washington. Read here